Anwar booklets make the rounds at 1 Malaysia gathering

A woman reads the booklet which was distributed at a 1 Malaysia gathering today. — Pictures by Choo Choy MayKUALA KANGSAR, April 26 — Booklets apparently aimed at casting light on Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as a political turncoat were distributed today at the 1 Malaysia gathering here attended by Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

The palm-sized, eight-page booklets feature Anwar’s criticisms of PAS and the DAP back when he was still in Umno and caricatures of key opposition leaders, including Anwar, PAS spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, DAP chairman Karpal Singh and party adviser Lim Kit Siang.

The cover of the booklet reads “Apa kata Anwar terhadap PAS” (What Anwar says of PAS), and its inside pages contain a compilation of 22 quotes from the opposition leader from as far back as 1983, a year after he joined Umno.

“The co-operation between PAS and DAP is a clear betrayal of the Malay struggle and could trigger racial disunity,” Anwar is quoted as saying on one page.

According to the booklet, Anwar, who now leads the PAS-DAP-PKR pact called Pakatan Rakyat (PR), had made the remarks during a meet-the-people function in Gombak on April 21, 1995.

“We should not be so easily cheated by those with such great lust and ambition for power like PAS, which is in cahoots with the DAP,” he was quoted as saying again.

The prime minister-hopeful had allegedly made the remarks during a speech at a Barisan Nasional (BN) ceramah in Kampung Sungai Pasir, Sungai Petani, Kedah, on December 22, 1990.

The booklet also quoted from a Berita Harian report on July 24, 1986, in Sungai Petani, where Anwar allegedly criticised PAS leaders for being “two-faced”.

Another woman seems to be thoroughly engrossed with the booklet.“When they meet the Malays, they would yell about their struggle for Islam but at other times, they are willing to be associated with a party that fights for socialism like the DAP.

“What is the true struggle of PAS when its leaders are willing to align themselves with parties that are clearly anti-Islam?’ he was quoted as saying.

“PAS leaders are traitors to their race and religion as they always promote the spirit of disunity to the people, particularly the Malays,” he added.

During a speech made in Pengkalan Chepa in 1986 when he was Umno Youth chief, Anwar had allegedly likened PAS to a horse that is ridden by others and takes orders from only its master.

“What makes Umno relevant is that it leads the national leadership and takes care of the people regardless of their race.

“We are the ones who ride the horse and leads it wherever we want,” the booklet quoted him as saying.

“However, for PAS, they have become the horse that gets ridden, that has to follow orders of its master or it would get flogged.

“It is because of this that we must reject PAS that is in cahoots with the DAP to destroy the special rights of Malays in the country,” Anwar allegedly said.

On the final page of the booklet, a caricature believed to be of Bersih 2.0 co-chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, is seen straddling a drawing of Abdul Hadi, who is walking on all fours on a leash led by Lim.

A caricature resembling Anwar is walking alongside Ambiga and holding up an umbrella above her head.

The headline above the cartoon images reads: “Sekarang?” (Now).

Anwar, once the No. 2 in Umno during the Mahathir administration, has often been criticised by his former party members of being a turncoat by aligning himself with PAS and the DAP, both parties that he used to criticise so heavily.

Now the de facto leader of PKR, Anwar is leading the PR pact, which counts the DAP and PAS as its member parties, to what is expected to be the most highly fought election battle to date.

Please note that you must sign up with disqus.com before commenting. And, please refrain from comments of a racist, sexist, personal, vulgar or derogatory nature and note that comments can be edited, rewritten for clarity or to avoid questionable issues. As comments are moderated, they may not appear immediately or even on the same day you posted them. We also reserve the right to delete off-topic comments